General

A General is a commander of an army that has superiority over a brigadier, as well as having control of the whole army officially, while the brigadier is the de facto commander, due to being the commander of the leading regiment. Famous generals are Leopold von Anhalt-Dessau, Eugen von Savoyen, Camille de Hostun, John Sullivan, George Washington, and Alexander zu Dohna-Schlobitten. The only rank above general is the honorary rank of Marshal.

History
The rank of "general" was derived from when Kings appointed certain nobles to lead their army in battle if they were not available; before the onset of the 18th century, monarchs commanded the armies. Generals commanded armies from the late 1600s on, as kings were required to lead their country and take care of their own territories.

In 1708, when the First French Republic took power, the French revolutionary government created the rank of Marechal to supercede the rank of General. However, in other countries "Marshal" was only a posthumous rank that was awarded to people as a sign of honor, not a real military rank. After all, promotion in revolutionary France was rapid, with Joseph-Nicolas Jourdan being promoted from Brigadier to Marechal after victories against the Grand Alliance.